[Arm-netbook] firefly 3399 all source software disclosed?

[Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton]

---
crowd-funded eco-conscious hardware: https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68


On Tue, May 30, 2017 at 10:07 PM,  <ronwirring at safe-mail.net> wrote:
> In a previous post, lkcl wrote the firefly rk3399 staff
> has the pcb cad files and he had no objection about firefly rejecting,
> which they have done towards me, to email the cad files.

 aiyaaa, you didn't ask them did you?  it's their proprietary and confidential
 business, and they're most likely under NDA with rockchip - please don't
 do that, ron.

> About lkcl's crowd funding, the mali gpu source code is
> not available.  Lkcl can make the mali gpu source code
> not available, because he makes a reservation in the text in his ad.

 this is a rather confusing sentence-construction... ad... ad...  ah, you
 may be referring to the crowd-funding text as "advertising".  that word
 is reserved for businesses.  this is *not* a business.


> About the pcb cad files, lkcl has decided they will not be
> available until lkcl decides to provide them.

 noooo, ron, most of the CAD files *are* available.  the only ones that
 are not are the EOMA68-A20 ones because i've invested literally tens
 of thousands of dollars in their development, and if someone else goes
 and clones them (particularly in china) before the project's properly
 established it jeapordises the ENTIRE PROJECT.  especially if they
 fuck it up and get it wrong.


> I disagree on the decision.

 tough.

> Being open source I find it implicit that all data will be
> provided immediately.

 normally i would agree with you 100%.  and in the case of the
 housings those *are* 100% available.

 however in the case of the A20 PCB i have to make an exception
 to not make them available *IMMEDIATELY*.

 let me be clear.  they WILL be made available.  is that clear?


> Because lkcl has made a reservation in his ad

 there is no advertising, ron.  advertising is a tool utilised by
businesses.  this is not a business.

> about the cad files in question he can make that choice.
>
> In the firefly rk3399' ad it says, the hardware is open source.

 that means that the software is available under libre licenses.  it
does not mean that the *CAD* files for the *hardware* are available.

> The ad is misleading and deceptive.

 ron, i do notice that you are often confused by the use of words that
potentially have multiple meanings, or that you sometimes
cross-associate words.

 in this case however you would be correct, there is the possibility
of thinking that "open source" applies *to* the hardware CAD files.

 however if they meant that, they would have used the words "open
hardware" or "libre hardware".

 it's a common enough mistake.

> I have found no reservations about the mali gpu
> source code or the pcb cad files. Firefly can probably
> not email the mali gpu source code, because they do
> not have it.

 that's correct.  you'd be asking them for something they don't have,
and are not legally obligated to provide even if they did.

> They can email the pcb cad files because they have them.

 ron: they are in absolutely no way obligated to you to provide them.
they've used the right words, and it is *you* who is confused by their
choice of words.


> That is why I am going to demand both the mali gpu
> source code and the pcb cad files from firefly.

 ron please don't do that.  you will only harm the reputation of the
free software community by doing so.

> If firefly does not provide the data in question,
> then I will file a complaint to kickstarter. It is unacceptable calling something open source, if it is not all open source.

 that's down to confusion on your part about wording, and it is their
choice and right as a proprietary business what they choose to release
and do not choose to release.

 you have *no right* to tell them that they *have* to release the
source code.  that is down to them to learn the consequences of their
decisions.


> Of cource I will not mention lkcl in any form.

 don't do it, ron.  you'll cause damage to the reputation of the
entire free software community, lessening the chances of companies
like Acer from wanting to work with us.

l.